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Charles Leclerc says Ferrari needs to understand a âtendencyâ for both cars to perform well on weekends the team expects to struggle and then fall short when it expects to be strong, after finishing fourth and fifth at the Hungarian Grand Prix. Charles Leclerc said: "So there's clearly a tendency, and it's not that one car is doing well because he's doing exceptionally in the car; both cars seem to have that tendency, of being good on the weekend where we expected to struggle and struggling on the weekend where we thought we would be good. So this is to be understood."
McLaren chief executive Zak Brown said it was a âbittersweetâ day for the team after Lando Norris won the Hungarian Grand Prix while Oscar Piastri was forced to retire from third with a gearbox issue, with Brown absent from Budapest due to BRDC Classic racing commitments at Silverstone. Zak Brown said: "Bittersweet day for the team. Mega result for Lando taking our first win of the season and his first as LN1. Tough end to the weekend for Oscar after a great drive, being forced to retire from P3 due to gearbox issues and from what could've at least been a double podium for the team. This weekend has shown we've made a step in the right direction right before the summer break."
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff says the team is weighing up whether it will need to take power unit-related grid penalties this season. Wolff said: "In terms of engine penalties, I still very much hope we don't need to take it. We need to decide when that is, when we need to take one, and which tracks? There could be one [Monza] that can be very special for Kimi [Antonelli], but on paper it look like it's a good place to take an engine penalty."
Lewis Hamilton questioned Ferrariâs decision to pit him under a virtual safety car late in the Hungarian Grand Prix, saying he would not have stopped if it meant giving up track position. Lewis Hamilton said: "I'm not really sure why we stopped at the end. I got the call right before the pit lane entry, so I didn't have time to debate it. I would never have stopped if it meant that I was giving up track position. So I thought that that would not be the case... I was P2, I should have stayed out. I need to go see why the team pulled me in."
Ferrari team boss Fred Vasseur said a âsuccession of mistakesâ led to Lewis Hamiltonâs five-second pit-lane speeding penalty at the Hungarian Grand Prix, with the Briton clocked at 0.1km/h over the speed limit. Vasseur said: "Today, it's probably that succession of mistakes that he locked the wheel in the pit stop, that we lost a couple of tenths during the pit stop, and then probably he was trying to be optimum on the pit limit release, and it was a bit too early than the optimum. I think it's when you start to do a mistake, it's quite easy to do more than one."
Ollie Bearman admitted he âlost all level of confidence in the carâ during the Hungarian Grand Prix weekend after Haas struggled for pace and he finished outside the points. Ollie Bearman said: "We need to understand why Spa was so good and why this weekend has been so bad because the feeling has been completely the opposite. I lost all level of confidence in the car. I haven't done a lap this weekend and felt good in the car. We think we understand why but we have to look long and hard through things over the summer break."
Kimi Antonelli said Mercedes abandoned its one-stop strategy âriskâ at the Hungarian Grand Prix because the team became âconcerned about safetyâ over the 70-lap race. Antonelli said: âIt was a great team effort. Also, with strategy, we took a risk initially and then we pulled back a little bit because we were a bit concerned about safety. But still, despite that, they put me in a position to fight for, eventually, the podium. So, it was a great team effort.â
Lewis Hamilton says FIA stewards âagreedâ in the driversâ briefing to look into how false starts are judged after he argued his Silverstone penalty. Hamilton said: "We did talk, in the drivers' briefing, about the fact that they're inconsistent with this stuff. There's been drivers in the past that have moved and haven't been penalised, and we discussed with them the fact that as long as you're not moving when the lights are on, you shouldn't be penalised, because I wasn't out of my box. They agreed. So they're looking into that."
Max Verstappen says his Red Bull felt no better in the race than it did in qualifying at the Hungarian Grand Prix, describing it as one of his hardest races of the season despite taking second place. Verstappen said: "No. It was exactly the same. There's nothing that you can change anyway after qualifying, so I knew that it was going to be tough, and it was very tough. Honestly, I think it was one of the hardest races of this year in terms of how I felt in the car, how I had to manage the balance as well, corner to corner. So, to be on the podium, I think, was an incredible result for us."
Andrea Stella says there is âabsolutely no problemâ at McLaren after Oscar Piastriâs angry team radio during the Hungarian Grand Prix. Stella said: "Immediately after the race, Oscar clarified that his comment was a comment made in anger. Itâs absolutely understandable that when you lead the race for almost half [of it], and then you see yourself losing the lead because of an episode with a backmarker, then you know you may have a moment and make a comment in anger. But thereâs absolutely no problem from this point of view."
George Russell says he has "never had a season like this" after a Mercedes anti-stall issue left him crawling off the line and dropping to the back at the start of the Hungarian Grand Prix. Russell said: "Obviously the problems are happening, but the whole team feels it as well. They're as p****d off as I am with how it's unfolded. We need to look at ourselves and ensure it's nothing we're doing wrong that is contributing to these errors. It's not like we're the only one, but it does feel like it is happening substantially more to me than others. Hopefully it swings around... I've never had a season like this in my whole career, let alone my F1 career."
Isack Hadjar said Red Bull never found a sweet spot that made the RB22 âdriveableâ during the Hungarian Grand Prix weekend. Hadjar said: "We didn't succeed to achieve that. Finding a sweet spot and having something driveable for me was not possible the whole weekend. On paper, I was confident it was a track that was going to suit us, but then it just didn't really come alive."
Carlos Sainz says he will spend the Formula 1 summer break in the Balearic Islands with his family, continuing a routine he has followed for decades. Sainz said: "I normally spend my summer in the Balearic Islands. I'll spend most of my time in Mallorca. Mallorca is where my parents' home is for the summer. My whole family goes there for almost a month. Honestly, I've been doing that for 30 years."
Alpine managing director Steve Nielsen said the team are in a âdevelopment warâ with Racing Bulls after their rivals moved five points clear in the Teamsâ Championship. Steve Nielsen said: "We're in a development war with them, with Racing Bulls. And I keep hearing stories that some of the other teams â Aston Martin, Williams â are also bringing big upgrades, so we'll see. There's an awful long way to go and we're not taking anything for granted."
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